The Diocese of Padang challenges the government attempts to stop the building of a church
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The Diocese of Padang strongly defends the legitimate right to build the church of St. Ignatius
in Pasir Pangarayan in the district of Rokan Hulu, Riau province, Sumatra island. In recent days, local authorities have
decided to revoke the building permits and give notice to the Catholic
community to transfer the place of worship to a different area. Fr. Kus Aliandu
Pr, a priest in Padang, West
Sumatra province, tells AsiaNews
that the diocese "will never sell the property to others." This
stance follows a meeting of the Committee of construction of the church and
local government officials.
"The district chief - says Fr. Aliandu Pr - told us that they will not
remove the blocks that prevent access to the site of construction of the
church. However, we told them that we are not willing to move the church to another
site". The secretary of the diocese
also states that "we will provide an official response to the request for
removal of the authorities after the Easter holidays." The priest then
adds that the local bishop, Mgr. Martinus Situmorang, "will never
accept" a proposal for resettlement. "The construction site and the property
- the prelate is reported to have said to the priest - in the future will
belong to the Church."
On 21 March, dozens of public officials raided the construction site located in
the village of Sukamaju, sub-district Rambah. The
authorities forced the workers to down their tools, to the distress of the
faithful who have shown - in vain - the permits complying with applicable
regulations. The area is fenced with barbed wire and has been impounded.
The faithful denounce the "blatant violation" of religious freedom
and confirm the validity of the documentation allowing the construction. Local
authorities respond that the land will be allocated for other purposes, because
the Muslim community is no longer willing to accept the presence of a place of
Christian worship.
In Indonesia,
buildings that will serve as places of worship must approved by the Izin Mendirikan Bangunan (IMB), building
permits granted by local authorities that enables the opening of a construction
yard. In the case of Christian places of worship, the permission must include
written authorization signed by at least 60 residents - Muslims - of the area
where the place of Christian worship will be located.
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